College football, NFL bettors looking for bounce-back week

Kansas quarterback Jake Heaps leaps to get off a pass as he is pressured by Rice defenders during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Houston. (AP Photo/Richard Carson)

The RGJ handicappers had an off week, with two taking losses and one with a push. Lee Sterling, however, remains out in front at 3-0.

Underdog Kentucky lost by 14 to Louisville, exactly on the spread, giving Josh Nagel a tie. Richard Chang's pick of Arkansas didn't pay off as the Razorbacks beat Southern Mississippi by fewer than the 23-point spread.

Two of the college bettors are taking total points this week to mix up the wagers.

NFL handicapper Dennis Ranahan took his second loss of the season and hopes to turn it around this week with the highly anticipated Houston Texans-Baltimore Ravens matchup.

Here are this week's picks.

Lee Sterling

Game: Louisiana Tech at Kansas

When: 9 a.m. Saturday (Fox Sports 1)

Pick: Kansas -10

Last year, Louisiana Tech had a magical season, going 9-3. This year, the Bulldogs will be lucky to go 5-7. Coach Sonny Dykes moved on to California and star quarterback Colby Cameron, who had 31 touchdowns against five interceptions, graduated, along with 14 other starters.

New starter, Scotty Young, has been in and out of the lineup because of injuries and ineffectiveness. This week's starter is still to be announced.

Kansas isn't great, but the Jayhawks do have some skill players who can make plays. QB Jake Heaps, a transfer from BYU, seems to be settling in and running backs James Sims and Tony Pierson should have a field day against a Bulldog defense employing a new 4-2-5 scheme that is better suited to stop passing teams not running teams with short West Coast passing schemes.

A win on a game with two bad teams pays the same as an Alabama-Texas A&M thriller. Take Kansas as they might double the spread on Saturday.

Lee Sterling of Paramount Sports is considered to be one of the top five monitored handicappers in the country. He's had 21 straight winning football seasons and last year won 64 percent of his games on his executive phone service. His plays can be purchased at either www.paramountsports.com or by calling 800-400-9741.

Richard Chang

Game: North Carolina at Georgia Tech

When: 9 a.m. Saturday (ESPN)

Pick: Over 61.5

Last year's game was a 68-50 Georgia Tech win, and although I don't see that many points scored this time around, they should combine to go over the total late in the third quarter or early in the fourth.

The Tar Heels are led on offense by QB Bryn Renner, who can strike quickly to a good stable of wideouts. Top two running backs Romar Morris and A.J. Blue average at least 4.5 yards per carry. Coach Larry Fedora is masterful in creating matchups that favor his offense. The defense has had a very hard time in stopping the option, giving up 380 yards on the ground with a whopping 5.7 yards per carry in last year's contest.

Georgia Tech has the No. 1 scoring offense in the country, led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Vad Lee, who has thrown for six touchdowns and also is the leading rusher. Also in the backfield is David Sims and Robert Godhigh, who are both capable of picking up large chunks of real estate in their vaunted triple-option attack.

Richard Chang is one of the most feared bettors in the world and has captured the RGJ college handicapping challenge three years in a row. You can purchase his selections by calling 800-921-9296 or through his website at www.richardchangsports.com.

Josh Nagel

Game: Utah at BYU

When: 7:15 p.m. Saturday (ESPN 2)

Pick: Under 61.5

There's some value on the under in this one, as the total has been bloated a little because of some uncharacteristic offensive numbers both teams have posted thus far.

Two weeks ago, BYU piled up more than 500 yards rushing against a woeful Texas defense in its 40-21 rout of the Longhorns. Utah amassed more than 500 yards of total offense it its 51-48 overtime loss last week against Oregon State.

Although both teams look vastly improved on offense, both will be facing the best defense they've seen this year.

Utah has a top-15 run defense and yielded just 48 rushing yards to Oregon State, while BYU's defense is ranked in the top 40 in most categories.

There might be some big offensive plays in this one, and likely a score that comes from defense or special teams. But overall, you can expect both clubs to force the other to earn their points with time-consuming drives.

Utah escaped with a 24-21 win last year, and Saturday's score should fit in a similar range, comfortably under the posted total.

Josh Nagel is the editor of RGJ's Best Bets and a veteran of the sports handicapping industry. His sports betting work has appeared in USA Today, on Covers.com and Docsports.com. He also is a regular contributor to the William Hill U.S. Sports Radio Show on ESPN 94.5 FM. Follow him on Twitter @JoshNagel1.

Dennis Ranahan

Game: Houston at Baltimore

When: 10 a.m. Sunday

Pick: Ravens +2.5

Last week, the Ravens picked up their 11th consecutive win over the Browns. It didn't come easy, but two unanswered second-half touchdowns brought home the victory for Baltimore.

On the same day, the Texans orchestrated their second straight comeback win, first against the Chargers in their road-opening Monday Night Football meeting, and last Sunday at home against the Titans.

Even though Houston has lost both point-spread decisions this year, its 2-0 straight-up mark has most bettors backing them as a road favorite.

Although Houston might look like the better team, this week, the Ravens are the squad that picks up a motivational edge, destined to overcome any talent deficiencies.

The Texans likely will have a better record than Baltimore this season, but the Ravens are poised to have a better Sunday this week.

Dennis Ranahan is the founder of Qoxhi Picks and is in his fourth decade of delivering clients both reasons for his choices and winning point-spread results. To learn more, visit www.picksfootball.com or call 800-543-9342.

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College football, NFL bettors looking for bounce-back week

The RGJ handicappers had an off week, with two taking losses and one with a push. Lee Sterling, however, remains out in front at 3-0.

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